ABSTRACT
Astronomer and exobiologist Carl Sagan wrote: 'Space exploration leads directly to religious and philosophical questions.'l Just what are these questions? Unfortunately, some of the first questions typically asked are very misleading. At the top of the list is a question posed all too frequently by skeptical scientists and tabloid journalists. The question goes like this: 'If we discover living beings in outer space as intelligent or more intelligent than we, will the Christian religion collapse?' Physicist and popular science author Paul Davies provides an example. In his God and the New Physics, he lays down the gauntlet:
What is misleading here is the assumption that the Christian religion is fragile, that it is so fixed upon its orientation to human beings centered on earth that an experience with extraterrestrial beings would shatter it. An alleged earth centrism renders Christianity vulnerable. Yet, I find little or no credible evidence that such a threat exists. To the contrary, I find that when the issue of beings on other worlds has been raised it has been greeted positively. Nevertheless, it is important to observe that the issue has only seldom been raised; so, to Davies' credit, it is not crystal clear how theologians would react should extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) suddenly become part of our everyday world. I believe the theological community should view the Davies challenge as an opportunity to think more deeply about the matter. I advocate exotheology - that is, speculation on the theological significance of extraterrestrial life.
